The ship was crawling with enemies. Even after Ashley had taken out a good number of them during the explosion and Rus had been secretly picking them off one by one, their numbers still felt endless.

To be exact, Ashley was only now realizing just how many people were actually aboard this ship.

Not to mention, the people she encountered on her way to the rendezvous point where Rus was supposed to be were skilled fighters. Because of that, she had been taking them down on sight, avoiding close combat whenever possible.

But then...

Ashley’s steps skidded to a halt as someone stepped out from the far end of the upper deck.

A tall man with striking orange hair emerged, carrying a rather relaxed demeanor.

Without hesitation, Ashley raised her rifle and pointed it directly at him.

Clack.

"Shit," she breathed out in panic, about to search for somewhere to hide when she realized the man was unarmed.

The orange-haired man raised his brows and smiled. "Out of ammo?"

"..."

Ashley narrowed her eyes slightly and took a cautious step back.

"No gun?" she asked.

"Oh, I do have one!" he replied, tilting his head to the side. "But I figured you’d already be out of ammo, so I dropped it. We were told not to hurt you if possible, and honestly, this entire ride is making me really dizzy."

Ashley stayed silent as she studied him from head to toe.

At that moment, she immediately understood this man was different from the others she had faced so far.

His stance and relaxed demeanor didn’t just radiate confidence.

It radiated competence.

The man clapped his hands together with a smile. "Now then, let’s put a stop to this, okay? If you comply, I’ll tell the captain you were a good girl and ask him to let everything slide."

"A good number of your people are burning in the engine room, and you’ll let it slide?" she laughed. "Even if it was expected, don’t you feel bad for them, Carrot Man?"

"Carrot Man?" He frowned. "Is it because of my hair?"

Ashley merely shrugged while Carrot Man clicked his tongue, though he didn’t dwell on it.

"Feel bad for them? Why?" Carrot Man blinked almost innocently before tilting his head slightly. "Ah... because they’re part of my team, huh? So I should feel bad for them and punish the people responsible for their deaths?"

He nodded thoughtfully before suddenly laughing.

"But the people responsible for their deaths are their own incompetence, aren’t they?"

"What?"

"If they had just used their brains or been a little more... how should I put it — competent, they wouldn’t have died so pathetically!" he said with a laugh. "Isn’t Dominion the same?"

While the man smiled casually, Ashley only stared at him with sharp eyes.

"No," she whispered, watching his brows rise slightly. "Dominion... is nothing like you people."

The moment she said that, she turned on her heel and sprinted away.

The orange-haired man blinked while watching her run.

"Don’t go back in there!" he shouted after her, hands beside his mouth. "There’s nowhere left for you to run! They already know you’re here, so there’ll be people waiting at the back—"

Carrot Man stopped talking when Ashley suddenly halted.

CLANG!

Using the butt of her empty rifle, she smashed the glass case mounted on the wall that contained an emergency axe.

Carrot Man raised his brows as he watched her pull it free before turning to face him again.

Ashley smiled. "You sure you want to fight me unarmed?"

"..."

Slowly, Carrot Man’s grin stretched from ear to ear as excitement gleamed in his eyes.

"You... you... are so damn crazy. I love it!"

"Say that after this splits your jugular open."

Ashley released a long exhale as she took large strides toward him.

Growing up in a world where missions meant either success or death, Ashley could immediately tell this carrot-haired man wasn’t some ordinary foot soldier like the rest.

Someone like him would only willingly discard their weapon for a few reasons.

Arrogance... or because they found it fun.

And honestly?

Those types didn’t scare her at all.

If anything, she feared the ones who never abandoned their weapons. Those were usually the people who ended fights quickly and efficiently.

People like Scott.

But this type?

People like Carrot Man?

They were her favorites.

Ashley stomped her foot and stopped abruptly, spinning the axe at her side until it gained momentum.

Carrot Man furrowed his brows, his grin fading slightly as he realized she wasn’t planning to simply swing the axe at him.

Instead...

"Eat this!"

Ashley hurled the axe straight at him.

The weapon spun violently through the air, cutting directly toward him.

And as it closed the distance, she sprinted after it.

Carrot Man snickered. "Do you think this is fast enough—"

But just as he prepared to casually dodge it, his instincts screamed. His adrenaline surged as danger made its presence known.

Ashley suddenly snatched the spinning axe out of the air mid-flight and swung it sideways like a bat.

TAK!

Carrot Man found himself slammed against the wall, the axe handle pressed inches from his throat, while the blade buried itself deep into the wall beside his head.

Blood trickled from his ear where the blade had nicked him. Had he reacted a second slower, half his face would’ve been gone.

His eyes widened in shock as realization struck him like a bullet.

Slowly, his gaze lowered, only to meet a pair of murderous eyes staring right back at him.

Then, Ashley’s lips curled into a smirk.

"Not smiling now, are you?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

At that moment, he finally understood why they had been given a special-grade sedative specifically for her.

He had assumed she overpowered the Knights Gang because they were pathetic — nothing more than brainless muscle heads.

But it turned out... he had been gravely mistaken.

"Haha..."

Carrot Man let out a shaky laugh as he stared at her before grabbing the axe handle to hold it firmly in place.

Ashley tried to pull it free, but his grip only tightened.

Then he leaned closer, staring at her face from up close.

"Wow... wow... wow." His eyes sparkled while his smile stretched wider and wider. "I love you."

"Huh?"

"I think I’m in love..." His voice trailed off as excitement slowly overtook his expression. "... I’ll get you out of here, then let’s get married. Happily ever after."